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Just a warning that one shouldn’t rely on what shows up on Target as accurate info regarding warranty. I bought a PartnerMic once that showed 3 year warranty, but according to Phonak had no warranty.

Edited

Yes MDB. I’ve been on this forum for over ten years and I’ve never once seen someone post something like: “oh sure I bought a used pair of hearing aids off eBay that broke after a certain period of time and I sent them in to Phonak through an audiologist who repaired them for free under warranty.” Maybe it has happened but I think it is safest to assume NO WARRANTY and pay an amount that reflects that.

(E,g, used P90-Rs shouldn’t be worth more than half the price of a new pair of Costco’s KS10s IMHO.)

Worse than this, I’ve been specifically told by a friendly audiologist that if he sent a specific pair of I had bought used on eBay to Phonak for any reason they would not be returned. YMMV.

In reply to @platypus

@platypus said:

Any” can but many won’t. I have direct experience with three different audiologist who would not program or accept me as a client

Yeah that’s unacceptable behaviour, I’ve also come across those types, but luckily there’s more that will, and I’ve found quite a few over my many years of experience with , I’ve brought a lot of my HAs from eBay sellers and have actually made a few friends along the way, as I’ve brought from them more then once, when I go to eBay to buy i don’t even bother with checking about a warranty, warranty on these are a bonus not a given I’m afraid.

@platypus said:

oh sure I bought a used pair of hearing aids off eBay that broke after a certain period of time and I sent them in to Phonak through an audiologist who repaired them for free under warranty

Here, me, I’ve done this myself, and more then once I’ve sent them to Phonak directly without any input from a clinic!

@platypus said:

Worse than this, I’ve been specifically told by a friendly audiologist that if he sent a specific pair of HAs I had bought used on eBay to Phonak for any reason they would not be returned.

Talk about scaremongering, he’s talking rubbish and I hope you told him so!

In reply to @Zebras

That’s a bummer, so looks like she won’t even be able to try a factory reset with target, it’s not offen a “new” dies like that, as in, you would usually get some kind of warning something is up before they completely fail.
Could it be a moisture issue?

@tenkan

I think it’s moisture.

She said she doesn’t understand why she should use some sort of dry box etc.

I’ve used a Dry & Store since I was 13 years old! I’m now in my 30s!

She will learn the hard way that an hearing aid dryer is cheaper than hearing aid repairs.

I bought a new pair of OPN’s online when they first came out from a guy in Colorado Springs. I cannot remember his name now, he was banned from this forum for his crude mannerisms! When I couldn’t get ahold of him for warranty repair work I turned to Loyd’s for assistance. They were very happy to help and even got the warranty work approved which was a BIG deal. Turns out he never registered the serial numbers and Oticon was hedging on even repairing them. I produced a sales reciept and only then were fully repaired under warranty plus I paid a minimal fee to Loyd’s for their part in the deal.

I bought a new pair of Oticon More 1’s online from an eBay seller in Europe with a trully oustanding, consistent multi-year record of 100% positive reviews, several thousand sales, all involving hearing aids and accessories.

I like the More 1 I received. Genie2 recognizes and programs them without any problems.

Oticon had a More 1 rebate offer that I hoped to qualify for, so I phoned Oticon to see if my aids qualified. They asked for the serial numbers, which I gave them. However, they said that the serial numbers “could not be verified” since they don’t show up in their database, and therefore the rebate won’t apply.

OK, I can live with that. – But should I be concerned since Oticon can’t verify or has no record of the serial numbers?

Does anyone know whether Oticon’s database of serial numbers includes only the serial numbers that “authorized Oticon retailers” register when they sell HAs? Does Oticon’s database include HAs for the European market? Or is it likely when Oticon has no serial number record that these are counterfeit, refurbished, demos, etc.?

Is the most plausible explanation, given the seller’s excellent reviews, that the serial numbers are simply not registered with Oticon if he’s not an “authorized Oticon retailer”?

The seller has been really great to work with, so I haven’t wanted to embarrass him with this question. Other than the fact that Oticon can’t verify the serial numbers, I have no reason not to trust him.

In reply to @Owl1

My first pair of hearing aids for came from USA and they couldn’t read my serial numbers here in the UK. That was 2011 tho and tbh not checked since with my other hearing aids as never needed a repair, ever.

In reply to @Owl1

@Owl1 said:

Is the most plausible explanation, given the seller’s excellent reviews, that the serial numbers are simply not registered with Oticon if he’s not an “authorized Oticon retailer”?

Yep this is the most likely case, remember serial numbers are unique to the country they were sold in.

@Owl1 said:

But should I be concerned since Oticon can’t verify or has no record of the serial numbers?

No not really, your warranty is in the country of origin, and with the eBay seller, whether he’s authorised or not.

@Owl1 said:

Or is it likely when Oticon has no serial number record that these are counterfeit, refurbished, demos, etc.?

Definitely not counterfeit, refurbished ex demos yeah possibly, when ever i get new they are sealed from the factory, but you wouldn’t of received them like this because they needed to set up and tested before shipping to you.

Many thanks for the replies – very much appreciated!

It’s good to know that serial numbers are tied to the country of sale, so it would be understandable that serial numbers from Europe don’t show up in the U.S. database. The rebate isn’t important to me, but, in this day of counterfeiting, knockoffs, and other scams, it’d be nice to feel confident that I received genuine More 1s. Thanks for reassurances!

Wondering if this applies to accessories like the Phonak TV Connector. Refurbished ones are selling on Ebay for much less than if purchased through a clinic. I realize there would not be a warranty with these purchases, but does it also mean they were stolen as well? Ebay has version 2 of the TV Connector.

In reply to @earlyriser

@earlyriser said:

I see people saying $7,000 for HA’s. Is that the part of the USA located maybe?

Most hearing practices in the United States bundle in the cost of expected services when you buy new hearing aids. Some places sell them unbundled from services. The University practice I currently visits unbundles services after the 60 day refund. If aids are returned for refund without replacement, they keep $400 for their services.
Most of their users choose to pay per visit. There are options of 1 year of service for $1200 or lifetime service for $2500.

I was going through eBay in search for a PhoneClip and I saw a pair of hearing aids exactly like mine, which are NHS. I did message and ask them if they were purchased privately and they said it used to belong to their grandad. I said they belong to the NHS so you cannot just sell them, you need to return them! Of course I was completely ignored.

I recently purchased an Oticon hearing aid from an Ebay seller in Ukraine. The aid was fully compatible with our US software. No problems at all.

It’s not US software. It’s software with English language interface chosen by whoever installed the software. It could also have been installed with a French language interface, or whatever your language choice is.

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